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The National Park Service: 100 Year Birthday Bash celebrations will begin in earnest in 2016. They are inviting visitors from around the nation to come enjoy the celebrations at a nearby national park! Celebrations will be going on all year round from essay and photo contests to actual events taking place at the parks themselves. These events will be fun for the entire family, so be sure and watch for them.

The National Park System began in 1872 with its first real park “Yellowstone” and went on to embrace over 450 sites in the United States. The service to take care of these national treasures finally came around 1916. The various categories these parks fall into are National Parks, National Monuments, National Memorials, National Military Parks, National Historic Sites, National Parkways, National Recreation Areas, National Seashores, National Scenic Railways, National Scenic Trails and more. Yellowstone was the beginning of this great story and President Teddy Roosevelt took the park service to a whole new level. Read about its history and the upcoming celebrations at the link below.

Boating Industry magazine has just named its “Top 100 Dealers” in the nation. This is the pinnacle trade magazine for the marine industry. It prides itself on a strictly held set of standards for which the winning dealerships must achieve to earn this highly coveted award. This honor is awarded to a very limited few dealerships across the United States. The 2015 “Top 100 Dealers” were healthier than ever, with a combined 2.5 billion in sales. It is the largest combined total since before the economic crash of 2008. The average “Top 100 Dealer” grew their revenue by 10.8% and sold 23, 117 boats. At the same time they were growing their revenue they successfully grew net profit and margins and CSI scores, while improving service efficiency. All these factors have made this year’s competition for “Top 100 Dealer” the toughest ever.

Texas Marine has been named one of Boating Industry magazines “Top 100 Dealerships” in the nation in the December 2015 issue of Boating Industry. This is not the first year they have been named within the ranks of these elite dealerships.. There are numerous assessments that have to be done in order to compete for this tremendous honor. A dealer must excel in customer relations, sales, service, marketing, net profit, growth and so much more. So congratulations to the entire Texas Marine team at all 3 dealerships for making this happen!

Once again the annual Texas Marine Christmas Party was a big success. It was an amazing time of fun, fellowship and FOOD, delicious food! Starting with the turkey and dressing

right down to the Key Lime pie everyone stuffed themselves.

These sprawling food choices, so carefully prepared by our fellow teammates, are just another example of the caring detail with which this team does everything. This year was a very successful year for Texas Marine. As our team leader shared his appreciation and prayer for each and every member we all reflected on the banner year we have had.

Our team members and awesome customers are the best and have made this one heck of a year!

Check out this delicious Fish Taco recipe next time you are in the mood for fish!

Ingredients

Tacos (tortillas)

1 lb white flaky fish (Mahi Mahi is good choice)

Marinade

1/4 cup canola oil

1 lime (juiced)

1 tablespoons ancho chili powder

1 jalapeno (chopped)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (chopped)

8 flour tortillas

Garnish:

Shredded white cabbage

Hot Sauce

Sour Cream

Thinly sliced red onion

Thinly sliced green onion

Chopped cilantro leaves

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish or deep plate. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, ancho chili powder, jalapeno and cilantro marinade. Pour it over the fish and let it marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and place on hot grill, flesh side down. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.

The Benefits for Families who Engage in the Great Outdoors are numerous! In a world driven by technology, it’s simple to forget the natural world surrounding us.Rarely do you see children in public today that do not have their eyes glued to a screen of some sort. Bring your children to spend time in the outdoors and teach them the benefits of that.

Each minute that kids spend in front of electronics is another minute they’re not spending time outdoors! Here are some reasons you should raise your kids in the outdoors!

Teach Them Patience

What better lesson to teach your children then the virtue of patience! Hunting can be a fantastic lesson that patience and perseverance can lead to great reward.

Encourage Activity

Staying active helps reduce stress and anxiety, and can help children with both behavioral issues and attention spans.

Educate Them

The more you educate them now, the more they know in the future. Help to promote self-sufficiency for future generations.

Keep Them Healthy

Let them run. Let them jump. Let them climb. A healthy childhood can lead to a long-term healthy lifestyle.

Spark Their Curiosity

Get your kids involved and interested in the outdoors. Show them things they’ve never learned before and let them ask questions. Fresh air is good for the mind, body and soul. Get your kids outdoors and let them appreciate all it has to offer!

“There is at least 12 SeaRobins (Prionotus tribulus) species inhabiting Gulf of Mexico waters. The Bighead SeaRobin is the largest, most common, and the only one to inhabit lakes and estuaries, as well as nearshore waters. Not only can these beautiful fish glide through the water with ease using their ‘wings’, but they can also use the elongated rays on their pelvic fins to ‘walk’ on the bottom while searching for the worms and small shrimp that they eat, especially in sandy seagrass habitats.”…..nwf.org

In this Gulf of Mexico Wildlife Series: SeaRobin will be the topic discussion. The SeaRobin, a most curious looking fish, inhabits the Gulf of Mexico waters. They become more active at night in the bays and salt water estuaries surrounding the Gulf. They are protected by a natural beautifully colored armor (in most cases) and bony heads. The pectoral fins have ornate patterns on them. Unlike most other fish SeaRobins are vocal. They can produce audible sounds using the muscles attached to their bladders. This is the SeaRobins claim to fame, noted by most of the residents in the areas they inhabit. These creatures can be as large as 28″ so imagine the sound they can make.

If you would like to purchase one for your saltwater aquarium there are places online to get them. A quick google search turned up this one, you may find interesting:

Louisiana

If spending you’re winter months watching fishing shows and tinkering with your boat just wont do, then don’t do it! Hit the road Jack! Check out one of these incredible fishing spots to get in on some action. If you can take the weather above ground, the fish are more than happy to accommodate you below the surface. Who said you can’t fish in the winter. Remember the old cliché “Where there is a will, there is a way!” It couldn’t be more true when it comes to winter fishing for any determined angler. If you are winter fishing in Louisiana, near Venice, try a favorite local hotspot there. Just on the NW corner of Trinity Barrier Island (Lake Pelto side), offshore from the beach, resides a couple square miles of a fisherman’s paradise. Be careful getting there because the seas are normally choppy and there can be quite a lot of fog. The local charter captains call it “Horse Shoe Reef.” It is filled with a virtual smorgasbord of edible species. The entire area between Wine Island Pass and Whiskey Island, on the lakeside, is extremely productive fishing. The closest jumping off point would be Boudreaux’s Marina off Hwy 56, near Cocodrie. Two of the more popular game fish are Yellow Fin Tuna and Wahoo. They can be the most fun to catch; however, a tasty 300 lb Mako will give any angler a run for his money. The Yellow Fin average upwards of 110 pounds and the Wahoo are around 75 pounds. If you’re not in the mood for these two species, there are numerous Amberjacks, Black Fin Tuna, Mackerel, Grouper and Snapper (check seasonal restrictions).

Texas

There are some exciting winter fishing opportunities in the form of lakes used to supply cooling water to electrical generation plants in Texas. These 20+ unique areas furnish tremendous prospects for anglers. A Southeast Texas favorite is the Neches River Canal near the Entergy Power Plant outflow on the Bridge City side of the Rainbow Bridge (above). The unintended benefits of these areas are that the water stays warm year round, attracting fish like magnets. Some of these lakes have tournaments, so you can fish them during the week if you prefer less traffic. The warmth is usually highest at the outfall of the power plant and will get colder the further away you get. Be sure to pay attention to your boats fishfinder with its temperate readings. Also, the output and intake creates a current. It would be to your benefit to locate it. If its freshwater, Bass love hanging out on the edge of the current. The trick is to find the fish’s comfort zone; that is where they will congregate. Remember just because there is a power plant on a lake doesn’t mean it is running. Many power plants only run when the demand is greater; in Texas that is summer. In the case of the Entergy Plant above, it may also be closed during a hard freeze. Its cold out there so you may want to check before you head out.

If you have wondered how Bass fishing evolved from a quiet little pastime to a $100 billion dollar industry, The Fish That Changed America is the book for you. This is the history of the sport of Bass fishing told by those who actually engineered the change. Reader’s ranging from the occasional weekend warrior to the professional angler will love the stories that are so masterfully told in this book.

The topics and stories in the book cover lures, boats, lakes and even the business side of Bass fishing. They are told by men like Trig Lund (last surviving staff member of Heddon Co.), Bill Lewis (designer of the famous Rat-L-Trap), Jack Windgate (early Fish Camp owner on Lake Seminole), Paul Allison (who cupped the 1st outboard propeller), Virgil Ward, Dee Thomas, Forrest Wood, Tom Mann and the iconic Bill Dance.

The topics they cover in this interesting collection of stories include a complete background on their topics. One fascinating story was how the Corps of Engineers began constructing the dams that form today’s best bass lakes and how Johnny Morris created the first superstore of bass fishing Bass Pro Shops. This book is not about tournament fishing its about the entire sport. You will learn how many different facets of the sport came together at the right time to form the booming industry it is today.

You will love owning this book and it is the perfect read for you down time while at the lake or even the seashore. Bring this one home today for your collection.

Reviews on this Book:

Price, a Hall of Fame journalist, is the perfect author for this book; he’s witnessed much of the evolution as a Bassmaster Senior Writer and topnotch bass writer for decades.” — South Bend (Indiana) Tribune

“A compelling read. It brings history to life through the unique firsthand accounts of the men who shaped the amazing growth of a great American sport. I couldn’t put it down, and neither will you.” —Ray Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society

“An incredible collection of stories from the people who were instrumental in building the sport of bass fishing. I absolutely loved it!” —Shaw Grigsby, professional angler

There are so many reasons to carefully and thoroughly tuck in your boat for the off-season that a traditional annual ritual will payoff in spades. It can ward off rust, mildew and the eventual break down of your boat, resulting in shortening its usefulness. There just isn’t enough that can be said on the benefits, both monetarily and practically, for learning this process and developing your own yearly checklist. Use the below” Boat Maintenance Checklist for Off-Season Storage” to help you build your own personal regime.

Where & When

Where-You need to put a little thought into where your boat will be stored in the off-season and when it is to be tucked in. A climate-controlled storage would naturally be optimal, but many boat owners do not have that kind of access. So the next best thing is a nicely-fit cover for your boat, as it sits outside. You want to check all the sharp edges on your boat that will come into contact with your cover so it does not get ripped during the harsher weather that is inevitable. Remember if necessary an old rag and some duct tape can take care of wrapping a threatening sharp edge on any boat.

When to tuck in your boat is always a challenge. The best thing to remember is you want it in before the first hard freeze. It only takes once for your boat to sustain potential damage due to freezing weather which it was not prepared for. It pays tremendously to get this step right.

Prep Work before Covering

To cut down on mildew you can clean, wash and wax your fiberglass or gel coated surfaces with a mild marine wash and dual-action polisher. Take care to thoroughly dry with cotton towel. Do not forget to address any oxidation or stains with a dual-action polisher before you wax.

Then for the painted or metal surfaces you need to use a protective application of wash and wax to deal with any impurities on them before storing.

Thoroughly clean all crumbs and dirt from floors, seats and storage bins. You can use a vacuum from the local car wash to quickly accomplish the task.

For you vinyl surfaces, such as furniture, coat it with a protective vinyl cleaner or conditioner. It will ensure your upholstery is protected against the UV rays of the sun once you begin your boating season again the following year. Also, it will help you locate any tears in your vinyl that would allow moisture into your padding and deteriorate it, as you are forced to inspect it while applying the conditioner.

Be sure to detail and protect your clear plastic surfaces as well with a Plastic wax (don’t use glass cleaner on your plastic).

Engine prep work is the most time consuming, yet has the greatest potential for saving you money in the long run. Drain all the water from your outboards. Drain the coolant and replace it with antifreeze that is propylene glycol-based. Be sure you take the time to change your oil and filter also. Then fill your tank 3/4’s of the way full and add a stabilizer to protect the integrity of your fuel during the long storage season. Remove the battery and store in your garage or at least disconnect it.

Check out your owners manual to make sure you have not forgotten any other mechanical to do for your particular boat model. Do not forget to take out all valuables either.

Check On Your Boat

Check on your boat now and then on the off-season. Make sure to carefully inspect the cover for tears that may be compromising all your hard work to store and protect your boat. Make sure everything is continuing to look like it is doing its job protecting your boat. By developing a simple yearly checklist, with all these simple steps on it, you can make sure when the season kicks into high gear you do not have a nasty little surprise waiting on youu, from a careless off-season storage regime.

REMEMBER:

If you are new to boat ownership or simply do not have the time you can always get the help of professionals like Texas Marine in Beaumont, Conroe and Clear Lake to painstakingly do the job for you. Make sure whoever you hire though agrees everything that you need done ahead of time.